PHILIPPINE SEA (Aug. 25, 2020) Sailors aboard the amphibious transport dock ship USS New Orleans (LPD 18) run to secure a CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 262 (Reinforced), 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), to the flight deck. New Orleans, part of the America Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), 31st MEU team, is operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operation to enhance interoperability with allies and partners and serve as a ready response force to defend peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. The America ARG, 31st MEU team remains the premier crisis response force in the region despite the unique challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. (U.S. Marine Corps photos by Sgt. Audrey M. C. Rampton)